Queen Series: The Trip
by Adifosett
Summary: It's the summer before she goes off to college, and all Rose wants to do is have a fantastic summer vacation with her friends. Is that possible with Riley, her sister, coming along? Last Installment in the Queen Series
1. Chapter 1: Last Day of School

Maximo slowly came to awareness, stretching his hand out he slammed it on his alarm, shutting it off. Taking stock of himself, he realized that he was lying on his back with Rose pressed against his side, one leg throwing over his hip, her head resting on his shoulder, and her soft hair tickling his chin.

Reluctantly he shakes her awake. "Rose, you need to wake up!" she whines in protest. "I know, but you really need to wake up."

"Fine," she grumbles, stretching her head so that she can kiss him. The kiss began slowly but escalating in speed and intensity. She presses herself even closer to Maximo, and he dips her over onto the bed as he kisses her, then pulls her up again as the kiss concludes.

"I love that you kiss me like you've never kissed me before," she tells him, caressing his face.

Maximo links his powerful arms behind her hips, swaying softly and pressing his body to hers.

"Well, I've gone a couple months without your kisses. I'm taking advantage of the fact that I can finally kiss you whenever I want and as much as I want to." He tilts his head towards her, so close that his lips brushed against hers as he speaks. "I've truly missed you."

She grins up at him. "Prove it."

He smirked down at her. "Your wish is my command."

Maximo opens her mouth with his, kissing her deeply and tenderly. He slips her onto his lap and closes the space between their bodies, wrapping his hand around her hips. When they break for air, she's flushed and breathless.

She rests her head on his shoulder as she tried to gain her composure. "I would love to go farther, but unlike you, I have class, plus I should be in Amelia's room, not yours."

He releases her, groaning. "Fine. Get out of here before Dad goes to check on Amelia and you."

Rolling off the bed, she peeks him on the lips before making her way out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.

"Morning," she mouths to Blaec, who was leaving Amelia's room.

He waves covering a yawn. "She's awake now. I'm gonna go get a shower."

"Thanks," once in Amelia's room, she jumps on the bed, disturbing the blonde who was on her phone.

"Somebody had a good night."

"We didn't do anything."

"I know. You really missed him."

"I did. Did you have a good night?"

Amelia gives her a saucy smile. "I definitely did."

Instantly Rose is off the bed. "Eww, Millie, a little warning."

"Nobody told you to jump on my bed."

Rose grabs a pillow from the bed and smacks her on the head.

"Hey."

A pillow war ensued; the laughter of the two girls could be heard throughout the house.

* * *

"Hurry up, Mads! Lucas is going to be here soon!"

Madeline hops over to her, placing her left shoe on. "I'm ready!"

"How can you wake up late on the last day of school?" Charlotte asks her.

"'Cause I don't see the point of it. We have no classes today, so what's the point."

"The point is to clean up our lockers, say bye to our friends, who knows when we'll see them again, and say goodbye to the teachers that made an impact on us. This is…"

Maddie presses fingertips to temples making small circles; she loves Charlie, but it was too early for her to be this excited.

Honk! Honk! Honk! Honk! Honk!

A grin spread across Charlotte's face cunting of her tirade. "Lucas is here!" She runs to the entryway, grabbing her bag on the way. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Authur!"

From farther inside the home, Eveyln and Authur could be heard calling "goodbyes."

Maddie looks up to heaven. "You are looking out for me, aren't you?"

"Maddie!"

Rolling her eyes, she picks up her school bag. "I'm coming."

* * *

The sounds of squeaking on the floor echoes, students were talking, laughing, shouting, some even crying their final goodbyes. The clinks of locks being opened, as students cleaned their lockers. Students were walking in and out of classrooms, saying goodbye to their favorite teachers, or just returning textbooks. It was the usual sights for the last day of school, for some it would be the last time stepped into the halls of Abigail Adams High School.

Zay walks over to Isadora and Farkle, who was just coming out of the Chemistry room. "Saying goodbye to ."

Isadora spins, sending him a smile. "Yeah. We wanted to thank him for all he's done and for writing our recommendation letters."

"You two would have gotten into Princeton without his recommendation."

Farkle pats him on the back. "Thanks, Zay."

"Your welcome, buddy. So have you guys decided to go on the trip?"

Isadora shares a wary look with Farkle.

"We don't know yet. It depends on well… everything, Would we love to go to Dubai? Yes. But…"

"Riley is not going to go, and if we go, she'll be hurt," Farkle finishes for her.

"But Lucas is going, and if we don't go, he's going to be understanding, but he's still going to be disappointed."

Zay sighs. "Well, I'm going. Lucas is my best bud, and what better way to spend our last summer before college together than by going to Dubai."

"Well, Lucas is my best friend, but Riley has been my friend longer," Farkle sighs. "When did things get so complex. We were supposed to stay friends no matter what."

Zay shrugs. "I don't know, man. I don't know."

* * *

"High school is over, it's over, it's over, it's over. Uh-uh, it's over," Amelia sang, dancing into Topanga's.

"I wish that dance were over," Beck teases her.

Maddie gently smacks him on the back of the head. "Leave her alone. You know you're just happy to be done with high school as she is."

"I can't blame her this year was so dramatic," Charlotte adds.

"Sorry," Rose apologizes, taking a seat on the couch, the other's joining her.

"Rose, it's not your fault your twin sister is delusional," Amelia tells her, ignoring the look Rose sends her. "Don't give me that look, I'm gonna call her whatever I want, she tried her best this year to make our lives a living hell. And Charlotte, don't you dare apologize either or else I'm gonna reach over Beck and smack you."

Charlotte instantly closes her mouth. Almost three years of known Amelia assured her that she would go through with her threat. "Okay, I won't. So Rose, Beck, how was it seeing your boos again."

Rose rolls her eyes. "We didn't do anything."

On the other hand, Beck gave a saucy smile. "We did a lot."

"Get it!" Maddie cheers him on.

"Okay, moving on," Rose knew if she didn't assure the conversation along, there was going to be a lot of blushing customers. "The trip. So we do we know is going for sure?"

"Obviously, the five of us her coming, the guys, and Zay. Farkle and Isadora her not sure yet, and Maya wants to come but won't come unless Riley does," Amelia answers. "Honestly, I would be happy if everybody except Riley came. We're going to be in Dubai during my birthday, and I don't want any drama."

"Thanks for inviting her, though," Madeline tells her.

"No big deal Maddie you know I'll do anything for you, for all of you. And if she ends up coming, she can sleep in the outhouse."

The other three chuckled at that while Rose shook her head.

Feeling her pockets vibrate, Madeline took out her phone.

_Wanna come over? Nobody's home. _😉

Smile Maddie didn't hesitate to reply.

_I'll be right there._

Standing from her seat, she grabs her school bag. "Okay, guys, this is it for me. I'll see you'll tonight?."

Rose nods, giving Madeline a knowing look. "Yeah. The sleepover is at my place. Nine o'clock. Don't be late."

"Got it. See you guys then."

Not glancing back, Madeline hurried out of Topanga's.

* * *

Two floors above the Matthews apartment, there was another quaint apartment, three-bedroom apartment. The apartment was homey, it felt lived in and warm. At this moment, the house was almost empty. Moans could be heard from one of the bedrooms at the very back. Clothes were scattered on the ground as two girls lost themselves to their primal instincts.

"You're really good at this."

Madeline looked up from the apex of the thighs she was holding. "I've had a lot of practice. Now less talking more moaning."

Maya chuckles. "Then I'll let you get back to it."

Madeline went to do just that when they were cut off by a familiar voice.

"Peaches!"

"Shit," Maya pushes Madeline off of her, jumping off her bed. "You need to hide."

Madeline raises an eyebrow at her, frowning. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not kidding. Riley can't see you! If she sees you, she'll freak out."

"I think this is the best way for her to find out."

She places a large shirt over her body, putting her panties on. "Finding us naked in bed together is the best way to find out."

The footsteps were getting closer. "Peaches! Are you home!"

Maya looked around the room until her eyes meet her closet. "Get in the closet!"

"What!?" Madeline was pulled out of the bed and pushed into the closet. "Maya! What-"

Maya closed the closet screen on her. "I love you, please stay quiet."

Maya quickly went about fixing up her room, making it as unsuspicious as possible. She didn't bother picking up Madeline's clothes from the floor, it wasn't unusual for her clothes to be on the floor. Riley wouldn't notice. Hearing the doorknob turning she quickly grabbed her sketchbook, jumping on her bed,

The door opens, and Riley peaks in. "Oh. You are at home. Why didn't you answer me?"

Maya shrugs. " I knew you were gonna come up anyway."

"Hmm," the brunette walks into the room, looking around suspiciously. She was sure she heard another voice on the way to Maya's room. "What are you working on?" she lies beside Maya on her bed.

"Nothing. What are you doing here?"

"I was thinking about Dubai. Do you really wanna go?"

"A fully paid trip to Dubai, Austria? Yes, I wanna go!"

"Why, though? Why do you want to be around people that don't like us?"

"_Because I get to spend time with the girl I love."_ That's what Maya wanted to say, yet couldn't get out of her mouth. Instead, when she spoke, this came out, "We've always said we were going to travel together. What better time than now, we're going to separate colleges. We won't be able to see each other for a while. Besides, we can do our own thing. Knowing Amelia, she's probably gonna places us in a hotel on the other side of Dubai. Imagine me, you, Farkle, Isadora, and Zay exploring Dubai."

"Zay is going be with Lucas," the brunette practical spat out Lucas's name.

"Then me, you, Farkle, and Isadora can hang out together. Think about it. We're not paying for anything. It's all on Amelia's dime, well her father's, but you get the point."

"It does sound nice."

"Plus, we can find some cute Austrian boys for you. You can rub that all in Lucas's face. Show him what he missed out on."

"Okay, I'll go."

"Yes!" Maya screams, jumping on her bed. "Yes! We're going to Dubai! We're going to Dubai! We're going to Dubai!"

Riley laughs, jumping on the bed along with her best friend. "We're going to Dubai! We're going to Dubai! We're going to Dubai! We're going to Dubai!"

"We're going to Dubai! We're going to Dubai! We're going to Dubai! We're going to Dubai!"

Two hours later, Maya sighs. She didn't know how to do it, but she was able to keep calm until Riley left. Yeah, she kept glancing at the closet every few minutes, but luckily Riley didn't notice.

When Maya opened her closet door, she was met with a glare from Maddie.

"Tell her," Maddie demands, stepping out of the closet. She instantly went about picking up her clothes.

"You know I can't," Maya responds.

"And why the fuck not? Your parents know, heck your Dad knows. Why the hell can't she?"

"You know why. And would you stop getting dressed and talk to me!"

Madeline spun to face her. "It's almost been a year now, Maya! Every single last important person in my life knows that we are together! Knows that I am madly in love with you! Yet you won't tell your best friend, the most important person in your life, that we have been dating since last May." she spun back around and buttoned her pants. "I can't do this, Maya. You had me hide in a closet for two hours! You say you love me, but that's not how you treat someone you love."

"I'm sorry."

Madeline put her head through her blouse. "And you know what's funny? You keep telling me I know the reason why. But I don't. I have no idea why you won't tell her. I know you're not ashamed of us because if you were everybody else wouldn't know." she puts her shoes on.

Maya grabs her hand. "Please don't go. Today was suppose to be nice."

Madeline final stopped getting dressing and held Maya by the face. "Maya, I just want to understand. Why can't you just tell her?"

Huffing Maya steps away from sitting on her bed. "Yeah, so I'm supposed to go up to my best friend and be like, "Hey, so I've been dating Maddie, you know the sister of the girl that Lucas cheated on you with.''

"Lucas didn't… you know what this isn't about them. Lucas, Charlie, and Riley need to solve that issue themselves."

"But that is the main issue between us; if I tell Riley we've been dating, she's going to take it as a betrayal."

Rolling her eyes, Maddie sat down beside her. "Yeah, and she isn't going to be hurt when she finds out that we've been dating for a little more than a year."

"She's gonna hate me," Maya sobs.

Eyes softening, Madeline pulls Maya's trembling body into her arm. "I know you're afraid, but Maya it's the best for all of us if you tell her. I don't sneak around during this trip; you telling Riley is better than her finding out."

"I know. Shit is gonna hit the fan."

"It's gonna hit the fan either way."

* * *

**A/n: Merry Christmas! So I finished this two weeks ago but wanted to wait till Christmas to publish it. I'm not that good at drama, nor do I like it, but I hope this was juicy enough.**


	2. Chapter 2: Leaving for Dubai

"One wakeup wrap and a vanilla chai."

Smiling up at her boyfriend, Charlie accepts the drink and dunkin' wrap. "Thanks, babe. Where's Maddie?"

"She went to look around while I talked to you."

Charlie arches an eyebrow at him. "Talk to me about what?"

Lucas takes the seat beside her, shifting their luggage so he could wrap his arms around her shoulders. "Why have you been getting more subdued as we got closer to this trip?"

"Lucas, there's nothing wrong."

"You're lying. We don't lie to each other, Charlotte."

Charlie sighs. "I-I… I don't feel comfortable with Riley coming on this trip."

"I thought that's what was wrong."

"I don't like Riley, I don't. I don't want her on this trip. I feel bad for feeling this way because no Riley means no Maya, which means a depressed Maddie for the rest of the trip."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault Lucas," Charlie chewed on the bottom of her lips.

"What's wrong now?"

"Do you… do you regret going out with me? I mean, our last year of high school would have been a lot smoother if we weren't dating."

Lucas smiles down at her, placing a kiss on his temple. "No, never."

Tilting her head up she accepts the kiss placed on her lips, thinking back to the first time she meets Lucas outside of Rose.

* * *

_It began last spring. Coming home from baseball practice, he was surprised to find Charlotte in his living room playing with his younger sister, Alice._

_Lucas blinks profusely at the blonde. "Charlotte? What are you doing here?" _

_Before she could answer a pretty strawberry blonde woman comes out from the kitchen, dressed in her scrubs._

_"Oh, Lucas, your home."_

_Still confused, he smiles at his mom. "Yeah, practice ended early. What is Charlotte doing here?"_

_She looks between the two of them. "Remember, my schedule changed? I'm now on afternoon shifts. I told you; with you being busy with practice, I was going to get a babysitter for Alice. Charlotte is the baby sister. Do you two know each other?"_

_"Kind of," Charlotte answers for both of them. "We have a mutual friend."_

_"Who?"_

_"Rose," they both respond with a grin._

_"Ahh. How is Rose? It's been a while…"_

_From there, it went. Most of the time, when he came over after practice, Charlotte could be found in his home playing with Alice. They spent so much time with each other, even outside of babysitting hours, that they didn't just share a mutual friend, they were friends. They became so close that one night Lucas felt comfortable enough to ask Charlotte for relationship advice._

_Looks glances over at Charlie. "Can I ask you a question." _

_Charlie looks away from the tv, taking note of the pensive expression on Lucas' face. "It's about Riley, isn't it?" _

_His eyes widened in surprise. "How'd you know?" _

_"You're asking me instead of Rose." _

_"Maybe I would rather ask you." _

_She nods. "Okay, then ask. _

_"Should I break up with Riley." _

_It was her turn for her eyes to widen. "Where is this coming from!? _

_Lucas sighs, running a hand through his hair. "There's a lot of tension between us right now. Rose is like a sister to me, and that will never change." _

_"That isn't sitting well with Riley, is it?" _

_"No. It doesn't. We don't argue about it. Anymore. Lately though it's awkward. She goes through stages of wanting nothing to do with Rose other days. She wants the two of us to go sit next to her at Topanga's. I'm not complaining when that happens, but it's weird." _

_"Why is it weird?" _

_"…When that happens, she's more physically intimate with me. More so than when we're in private." _

_"…Amelia was right. She's gonna kill Riley." _

_"What!? What is Amelia about?" _

_She peers at him. "You know. Do you really need me to say it?" _

_"I need to hear it." _

_Charlotte sighs. "Riley is rubbing your relationship in Rose's face. But you knew that already." _

_"Yeah. Yeah, I did. I just don't understand why," he places his head between his knees. _

_"Why? Lucas you're kidding right?" At his inquisitive look, she sighs. "Lucas, honey, you're such a boy." _

_"Thanks." _

_"Sorry, your naivety is cute." _

_He gives her a look. "Are you going to explain it to me?" _

_"Sure. She's insecure." _

_"Of what!?" _

_"Of you and Rose's relationship. Some people in school thought you two were together. Some still do, especially with Maximo at Berkeley." _

_"How many times do I have to say it? We're just friends. I don't have feelings for Rose, and she doesn't see me like that. She has Maximo."_

_"You two are close. Honestly, if I hadn't seen Rose with Maximo, I would think you two were together." _

_He grimaces. "Ewe." _

_Just the thought of Rose that way made him shiver, and not in a good way. _

_Charlotte chuckles. "Yeah, I know that now, but you know you're Riley. I've known her for a little more than two years, and I know Riley is not secure in herself. Rose is Rose. She's amazing in every way. Riley probably thinks that you would choose Rose over her. And you kind of have." _

_"Riley was wrong. She shouldn't have said that to Rose." _

_"I agree. Completely. However, you still choose Rose over Riley. Maximo isn't here right now, so in revenge, Riley is shoving her 'loving' relationship in Rose's face."_

_Lucas sighs, rubbing his face. Charlotte had made a lot of good points. Points that he already knew but needed to hear. _

_"You never did answer my question. Should I break up with Riley?" _

_"I'm not capable of answering that. I don't want to be labeled a homewrecker. Riley probably already thinks I'm up to no good around you." _

_Lucas crosses his arm. "We're friends. You're not some kind of scarlet woman." _

_Charlotte swallows. "Yeah, friends," she glances at the clock. "I should go. It's getting late."_

_"Don't worry about putting Alice asleep, I'll do it. I'll walk you out," getting up, he waits for her to gather her stuff before following her out of the apartment. "Thanks again for hanging out with us. You really made Alice's day." _

_Charlotte shrugs. "It's no big deal. I love Frozen. Olaf is a cutie." _

_Both of them chuckles. _

_"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," she turns from him, headed for the train, only to turn back. "Can I give you one last piece of advice, Lucas?" _

_"Sure." _

_"Whatever you decide, make sure you're happy with it in the end." _

_"I will." _

_"Well, then. Bye." _

_He holds up his hand. "Bye." _

_As she walked away he couldn't help but notice how her hair gleamed in the moonlight. He felt his heart go lub-dub._

* * *

"What are you thinking about?" Charlotte asks him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Lucas grins down at her. "The first time you made my heart skip."

She gently elbows his side. "When did you become such a smooth talker? Have you been taking tips from the boys?"

"It's hereditary," he teases.

Madeline walks over to them. "Are you two done with your serious conversation? Can I come back now? Please tell me you're not making out?"

Charlotte rolls her eyes. "Yes, you can come back. No, we're not making out."

"Thanks," she takes the chair on the other side of Charlotte. "So, are you going to tell me what's wrong."

Charlotte bit her lip. Madeline was already feeling off about her relationship with Maya, she didn't want to make her feel any worse.

Lucas kisses are on the temple. "Tell her she'll understand it."

Madeline raises an eyebrow. "Well?"

"I'm uncomfortable with Riley coming with us. I don't want her near me. At all. I know no Riley means no Maya, but..."

Madeline frowns, arms crossing. "Well, there may not be a Maya and me."

And that was the truth. Yeah, she had comforted Maya after their argument, but they didn't resolve anything. If Maya wasn't willing to tell Riley that they were dating, then there wouldn't be a Madeline and Maya. Madeline wasn't sure if she could handle that pain.

Lucas and Charlotte's eyes widen. They glance at each other before turning back to Madeline.

Lucas speaks up hesitantly. "Did you two break up?"

"Nope."

"Then..."

"Hey!"

The three of them look up from their conversation to see that not only had Amelia arrived, but so had the others.

Madeline glances away from Maya who was trying to meet her eyes. _"Here we go."_

* * *

**A/N: I wanted this chapter to be longer because it's been a while since I updated, but I thought this was a perfect place to end the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to comment and vote, thanks.**

**A/N 2: So this story is going slow, and it will continue to go slow. Sorry. However because of that and my schedule, I don't get home until eight pm on most days, I'm gonna take a back seat on the rest of my girl meets world story unless I get some inspiration. Thanks to all of you that have been really patient with me. Hope you enjoy it, don't forget to comment.**


	3. Chapter 3: Pitstop In England

She awoke to the sun, glaring down on her. Rose turned away from the window, snuggling more into the body next to her, hoping for slumber to return.

When that didn't happen, she glanced at the clock on the nightstand to see that it was seven.

Yawning, she sat up, leaning her body on the headboard. It took her a few moments to gather her bearings and remember where she was, a seven-bedroom cottage in London, England. She had to wake up anyway, now how to wake up the warm body next to her.

Feeling mischievous, she shifts around a bit, so she was straddling Maximo. Leaning down, she places soft kisses on his face until his eyes slowly opened.

Maximo grins up at her. "What a great way to wake up."

"I'm glad you're awake because we agreed to take care of breakfast this morning."

Maximo groans. "I'm still jet-lagged. It was a seven-hour plane ride I was not coherent when I agreed to that."

Rose sends him a sly look, bouncing a bit on him. "I can feel you under me. Your not that jet-lagged."

Maximo gives her a lazy smirk. "I'm too jet-lagged to cook, but maybe I can be convinced to do something else."

"And maybe you can convince _me_ to do something else."

Reaching out, he cups her face in his hands and peppers kisses over her skin, trailing them from her forehead… against her cheek… down her jawline… until final greeting her lips once more.

In return, Rose nips at his bottom lip, snagging it playfully between her teeth. He moans in reply.

"You convinced me," she mutters before straddling him, then bending down to kiss him once more.

Maximo grabs her hips, holding them tightly as heat builds between them. She leans down to trail her lips down his neck, dragging her teeth over exposed skin. Je grans, his back arching off the couch.

"Rose!"

"That reminds me… I've got a surprise for you."

She pushes Maximo back on the bed as she stands, then saunters a few steps away, swaying her hips playfully.

He smirks. "I've created a monster. You're such a tease."

"Oh, Babe, I haven't even started yet."

She slowly pulls her shirt over her head, revealing the lacy fabric covering her stomach, followed by her breasts. Maximo bites his lip in anticipation. She removes the rest of her clothes, letting them drop to the floor before taking a step toward him.

"You like?"

His eyes roam her body, lingering on her chest for a moment before trailing down to her stomach and legs. "You know I knew it was gonna look good on you when I bought it, but… damn. You're gorgeous, sexy, and utterly perfect…"

"Aww, Maximo," stepping closer, she places a chaste kiss on his lips before pulling away with a smirk, batting at his hand before bending down to give him a generous view of her chest.

"You don't play fair."

"Life isn't fair."

She runs her hand down her chest along the curve of her breast. A soft moan escaped her lips as she cups it in her hand. She tries her finger lower, over her stomach, letting them ghost over her skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

"Besides, you were the one that wanted to have a little fun before breakfast."

Her hands slip between his pegs for just a moment, and she squeezes her eyes shut at the burst of pleasure. Maximo's hand clenches one of the couch cushions, his knuckles going white as she climbs into his lap.

He shuts his eyes, tight, taking a breath through his nose. "Rose… stop playing."

Grabbing her waist, he flips them, so she was under him, settling himself between her legs. She pulls him into a passionate kiss, all heat, and desire. She kisses his jawline, letting the day-old stubble scratch pleasurably over her skin, and then move down to his neck. Her lips wander down to his collarbone, nipping it teasingly, and he squeezes his eyes shut.

"But it's so fun to _make_ you lose control."

"Fun, right."

He threads his hand through her hair and drags back up into another kiss, his mouth hot against hers. As his tongue traces her lips, she presses into his chest. He bends down to press a kiss to the curve of her breast, where it peaks over her lingerie. His hands run over her thighs and under the garters, snapping one against her skin. She gasps at the sensation, her fingers wandering across his exposed chest, feeling each of his chiseled abs.

Rose grabs his bottoms, tugging it off him. He groans and quickly kicks off his boxer. She pulls away to drink in the sight of his body… a body that she's only had the pleasure of seeing.

"Damn… I'm a lucky girl."

She drags a finger down his bare chest, tracing patterns across it. Her hand slipped lower and lower until she was touching his penis, holding it in his hand before bending to kiss it before swallowing it whole.

His hips buck up, and he throws his head back with a groan as her head bopped back and forth.

Maximo grabs hold of her hair. "Rose."

She pulls away with a smirk playfully running her tongue along his length.

"Too much?"

He pushes her back on the bed and climbs on top of her, kissing every inch of her chest. She takes her fingernails down his back then moves her hands lower, squeezing, and he lets out a sharp exhale.

"We can do that later, right now let me please you."

Maximo lathers affection over her body, she feels like he's touching everywhere at once. Her neck, her chest, her stomach, down to her core. She brings his hand to her chest, and he caresses her breast, rolling it in his hands. His other hand dances down her stomach, close, but not close enough.

"Maximo, it's not enough! I need more…"

He hooks one of her legs over his shoulders and places a kiss to her inner thigh before licking it. His stubble leaves a pleasurable burn over her skin, and a moan escapes her lips.

"Oh! Ohh!"

"Shh. We don't want to wake anybody up."

He slides her underwear down, his breath ghosting over her before he dips his head between her legs. His tongue fervently licks her core, each touch bringing her closer and closer to the edge. She traces her fingers in his hair, only for him to pull back and grin.

"Enough teasing."

He removes his head from between her thighs, licking his lips. "But, you taste so good."

She slides her hand up his shoulder and wrapped her legs around his waist, reeling him in. Slowly at first, his hips roll against her, their bodies melding into one. She throws her head back against the pillows.

"Ohh!"

Her lip tangled with his. His mouth like a live wire, sending jolts of ecstasy coursing through her. Without missing a beat, Maximo starts up a steady rhythm, moving faster against her every second. Each thrust of his hips sent waves of pleasure through her. He nips at her neck, pressing frantic kisses over her skin. Her fingernails rake into his back, beckoning him closer to her.

"Faster!"

His hips move faster in response, setting her nerves aflame. She drags him into a kiss, fierce and desperate. Rose explodes. Stars burst behind her eyes. The tightening of her core had Maximo cumming moments after her.

A few minutes later, Rose sat up. "As much as I want to lay and bask in the afterglow, we still need to make breakfast."

"Ugg yeah, your right, we have to feed 18 people."

After cleaning themselves up, the two of them head down to the kitchen. When everybody else came down around nine, it was to a full table of delicious food. Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Pan, Egg and Sausage Breakfast Taquitos, Bagels, and Tater tots.

"Hmm," Blaec moans, taking the chair beside her sisters. "I knew it was a good idea to ask you guys to make breakfast while you were too tired to know what you agreed too."

Maximo sends Rose a pointed look. "See."

Rose rolls her eyes. "Just eat. We have to be out of here by eleven."

It was quiet after that with everybody just waking up, there wasn't really any conversation going on.

"Why do you guys keep staring at them like that?" Farkle asks.

Beck swallows a piece of bagel. "What? Who's looking at who? Who are they looking at?"

"Charlie and Lucas. They keep looking at Rose and Maximo with flush cheeks."

At that, Amelia, Beck, Blaec, and Ethan broke down into laughter.

Lucas flushes even more. "Farkle, sometimes it sucks how perceptive you can be."

Farkle looks around. "What? What did I do?"

Calming down from her laughter Amelia spoke up. "Farkle, why aren't you and Isadora sharing room?"

"Because- oh!" his face instantly reddens.

Also, catching on Maya and Riley blushed.

"Yeah, and poor Charlie and Lucas have the bedroom next to them," Amelia turns to Madeline. "But you share a room with Charlie and Lucas why aren't flushed."

Madeline shrugs. "It kind of turned me on. Rose as really sex moan."

Maya frowns.

"Oh, my God!" Rose pushes herself away from the table. "I'm done. Not having this conversation. I'm gonna go change. We made breakfast, so we're not washing the dishes. Bye."

Placing her dish in the sink, she ran upstairs before anybody could stop her.

She was picking out an outfit to wear when an arm snaked around her torso.

Maximo nuzzles into her neck. "You okay? You got out of there like a tandem devil."

"I'm okay."

"Liar."

"It's Maya and Riley. I feel so uncomfortable talking about my sex life with them around. It's weird. I don't have a relationship with them besides the basic 'Hi.' And I was just sitting there like when I was twelve we talked about boys all the time. Yet I haven't said two words to them in a little over two years. You would think my twin sister would be the one person I have this conversation with, but she's not."

"The disintegration of your relationship with Maya and Riley is bothering you more than you let on."

Rose wipes the tears before they could drop. "I didn't even know it was bothering me this much. It just struck me when we were sitting there that I would like to be on speaking terms with my twin before we leave for University, and our 'adult' life begins."

"Don't cry. They're not worth it."

Rose lets out a water laugh. "I know. It's silly."

Shuffling back into the bed, Maximo pulls her down with him. "I hate it when you cry."

"I hate it when I cry too. I just have to shake it off."

"Yeah. Who knows, this trip might be just whats need to bring you back together."

"Maybe," she pushes herself off of him. "Okay, no more crying, we need to get ready."

"Yeah, let's get dressed."

Sitting on the bed, Rose did her makeup before changing out of her loungewear into a short red cami ruffle hem heart print slip dress. Bending over, she pulled her hair into a ponytail before twisting it into a bun.

She turns to Maximo, who was already dressed. "Cute? Headband? Or leave alone?"

"I like it, but you wanna wear a headband wear a headband."

Deciding against wearing a headband, Rose grabs her messenger bag, placing her wallet, sunglass, lip gloss, lip balm, lotion, and suntan in there. She also put all of Maximo's things in there.

"Okay. I'm ready?"

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Amelia's voice could be heard from the foyer. "The cars are here! I am not afraid to leave people."

Not wanting to test Amelia's claim, everybody rushed out of the house.

Forty minutes later, they arrived at Marwell Zoo, and waiting for them at the entrance was Asher, August, Eloise, Imani, and August.

"You guys are late," Eloise chides them as they appeared.

"You tey getting twelve people out of the house on time, then complain to me," Amelia responds. "You got the maps?"

August nods, holding up a stack of maps. "Right here."

"Good. I have the passes."

Maximo takes charge. "Gather around everybody," once everybody was around him, he handed out the passes and maps. "We're not kids, so I'm not gonna say take a buddy, but just keep your phone on you and try not to get lost. The day tickets do not include food, so if you're hungry, it's out of your own pocket. It's 12:15 right now, we will meet back here, this spot, at 5:15 and then we're gonna head out for dinner. That leaves us with five hours to have a good day. Understood? Good. Y'all are free to go."

With that, everybody dispersed. Charlotte, Lucas, Madeline, and Zay went one way. Farkle, Isadora, Maya, and Riley went the other. Amelia, Beck, Blaec, and Ethan went on their own. While Rose and Maximo chose to stick with Asher, August, Eloise, and Imani.

"I missed you, Rosebud," Eloise coos at her friend.

Rose hugs her friend back. "I missed you too. I'm kinda upset you guys aren't coming to Dubai with us."

"You're upset?" Imani asks her. "We're upset. But we're not even here in England to have fun. We're here on a study abroad program."

"I'm glad we have today to take a break and hang out, though," August says arms over Maximo's shoulder. "So what's been going on."

"Tension, tension, and more tension," Maximo replies.

Asher snorts, arms around his girlfriend. "We can tell."

Rose sighs. "I'm starting to think this was a bad idea. The tension between Riley, Lucas, and Charlie is insane. It's awkward between me, Riley, Maya, by the default. Farkle, Isadora, and Zay are stuck in the middle. And there's this new tension between Maddie and Maya."

"Really?" Imani asks. "Where did that come from the last time I talked to her she was happy as a clam with Maya. It's the only reason Riley is on this trip."

Maximo shrugs. "No idea. You know how Mads is, though. She won't tell you until she's solved it."

"Enough of this, let's have fun. I wanna go see the lemurs," Eloise says, directing the conversation away from the drama. Without waiting for everybody, she runs ahead of the group, dragging Asher along. "Come on, they're this way."

Rose went to follow Eloise when she felt someone tap her shoulder. Swirling around, she was shocked to see it was Maya.

"I need your help."

* * *

**A/n: AHHH! Long Chapter! At least for this story. What does Maya want from Rose? Will Rose help her? We'll find out. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; I'll see you next time. Stay healthy and stay indoors.**

**P.S: Writing sex scenes make me cringe a bit.**


	4. Chapter 4: Pitstop in England II

Rose blinked when a huge vanilla ice cream was placed in front of her. She looks up at the blue eyes blonde above her.

"It's your favorite still, right?" the blonde asks, taking a seat across from Rose, a strawberry cone in her hand.

"Yeah, it is."

Maya turns to the blonde sitting beside Rose. "I don't know what you want, so taught you two could share."

Maximo shrugs, unconcerned. "It's cool."

The three of them sat in front of one of the many kiosks at Chester. When Maya asked for her help, Rose had sent the rest of them away to enjoy the park, they agreed reluctantly, all except for Maximo.

He refused to allow Rose by herself with somebody that always hurts her. Whether Maya knows what she was doing or not didn't matter to him.

There was an awkward silence as they enjoyed their dessert. A few minutes later, Rose sighs.

"What do you want, Maya?"

Maya shrugs, spooning her ice cream. "I told you. I need help."

"Really? You need my help? We haven't talked to each other besides a 'hi,' in almost two years we haven't been friends since high school started. What would you need my help for!?"

Slowly Maximo places his hand on Rose's thigh in support.

"Well…" Maya starts looking away. She knew it looked bad. Coming to Rose for help after not talking to her in over a year makes it seem she's taking advantage of Rose's kindness, and maybe she was, but she had no idea what else to do. "You probably know that Maddie and I aren't seeing eye to eye at the moment bec…"

"No idea."

"Maddie hasn't talked about it."

Maya blinks at the couple. "Really? She hasn't talked about our fight."

"Nope."

"Not a word."

"The only reason we know that something was going on is because of the tension of the plane ride here. For those that know about you two, it was obvious something as going on. Plus Maddie has been tense for a couple days now," Rose clarifies.

Maya nibbles on her lower lip. "Oh. Well, we had an argument. She's mad that Riley doesn't know about us when everybody else does."

Maximo shrugs. "Can't blame her. Who wants to be treated like a dirty secret?"

Maya glares at him. "She's not a dirty secret! Don't you dare call her that!"

Maximo only arches a brow while the surrounding people glanced over them. "If only you had all that passion for her when it comes to your best friend. Then you wouldn't be in this situation now, and I wouldn't have to suffer your presence."

"What are you even doing here? I asked for Rose's help, not yours."

"If you actually think I'm going to leave you alone with Rose, then you've lost your mind, Hart."

Maya scoffs. "I'm not gonna do anything to her. I need her help."

A scowl passed through his face before it went back to neutral. "You've done enough."

"What have I done? The problem is between Riley and Rose. I have chosen to stay out of it."

"If you were staying out of it, you would tell your best friend that the sun doesn't shine from hypocritical ass. Where is your god."

"Farkle and Isadora distract her while I talk to you. They promised to keep her away for as long as possible. What does it matter to you? Again, I haven't done anything you and Rose. I've kept away."

"You think I didn't get reports while I was in Berkeley? I know everything you did and didn't do when it comes to this girl, 'cause she's my girl," Maximo could feel his anger rise. "Rose has been nothing but kind to her even when you have been cruel to her. After the way you've treated her, you don't deserve to be around her, and if Maddie breaks up with you, it's only what you deserve."

Maya growls. "You-"

"Stop it," Rose cuts in. She turned Maximo's face, so she was looking in his rage-filled chestnut eyes. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," he mutters but relents.

Rose smiles at him, gratefully before she turns to Maya. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need to talk to Maddie alone. Can you find her way to get her to talk to me?"

"Why me? Why not, Charlie?"

"'Cause we used to be friends, and you're close to Maddie."

Maximo scoffs. "_More like you know she's gonna say yes."_

"I'll help," Rose agrees to Maximo's disappointment.

Maximo groans. "You have such a bleeding heart."

Maya grins, ignoring Maximo. "Thank you."

Rose frowns at her. "I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for Maddie. That's it."

"Still, thank you."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Maddie was wandering aimlessly around the zoo when she felt a pang in her pocket.

"Hey Rose," she responds, sliding the green image across her phone.

"_Hey. Where are you?"_

"I have no idea," she looks around the area. "I just passed the lions exhibit. Why?"

"_I'm by the tiger exhibit. Wanna come hang out? We can talk about whatever is on your mind that you don't know where you are."_

"I don't want to bother you with my issue."

"_Never a bother. Now get over here."_

Maddie chuckles. "I'll be there soon."

It took her ten minutes, but Maddie found the tiger exhibit. It didn't take her long for her to find Rose standing in front of the white tiger exhibit.

"Of course you would be here," she remarks, coming closer to the brunette.

Rose chuckles. "They're gorgeous, aren't they? So strong and beautiful."

"Yay, they are," Maddie nods in agreement.

"Please don't be mad at me."

Maddie arches an eyebrow at her. "Why would I be mad at you? I- Really, Rose?"

Rose raises her hand in surrender as Maya walks up to them. "She came to me."

"And?"

"She pleaded her case with Maximo breathing down her neck. Maybe you should talk to her. At least get whatever's on your mind out. This trip is supposed to be peaceful."

"Can we talk?" Maya asks, coming up to them.

Maddie rolls her eyes. "I don't think I have a choice."

"I'll see you two later," Rose says, backing up until they couldn't see her anymore.

When she was gone, the two of them stared at each other in awkward silence until Maddie couldn't help but blurt out what's been on her mind the past few days. "Do you like Riley?"

Maya gives her a befuddled look. "She's my best friend. She wouldn't be if I didn't like her."

Maddie sighs. "I mean, do you _like_ her?"

Maya stared at her for a few seconds before the light bulb went off in her head. "Eww! No! Why would you think that!?"

"What else am I supposed to think when she is the only person that doesn't know about us?"

"I don't know but not that. I love Riley, but not like that."

"Are you sure?"

"What-"

"You didn't know you liked girls until… well until me."

"But, it's Riley."

"Exactly. Think of it from my point of view. Riley was giving you everything you wanted. She used you to follow your passion in art, she 'parent trapped' your mom and dad. She fixed your relationship with you and your mom. Do I need to go on? How can you not have feelings for somebody that's done so much for you? How can I not think that?"

Maya chews on her bottom lips before releasing it with a sigh. "Your right."

"I knew it," Maddie whispers.

"Riley has done so much for me, and I owe her so much, but as much as I love Riley and as much good she's done for me, she's not a good listener."

Maddie blinks at her. "What?"

Maya reaches out her hand so that it was lying on top of Maddie's. When Maddie didn't tug it back, she smiled softly. "I'm not as blind to Riley's fault as I was when we were younger, and one of them is that she sucks at listening. And while she means well, she makes decisions for me even when I tell her I wanna do the opposite."

"You, on the other hand, listen to me. You let me use you as a sounding board when I'm in my mood, You listen to me complain without telling me to 'to look on the bright side.' You don't dismiss my opinion. You've taught me so much when it comes to relationships."

Maddie flushes. "I didn't do much."

Maya shakes her head. "You did a lot. You choose me just 'cause it's me. Nobody else has done that before."

Maddie arches an eyebrow at her. "Your mom, dad, Riley…"

"My mom gave birth to me. Dad sympathized with me since we have a similar background."

"And Riley?"

"Riley was lonely, it could have been anybody that came to the window, and she would have been friends with them, it just happened to be me. You, on the other hand, decided to take a chance on me when… when I made a fool of myself. You said when I asked you out even though I'm sure your sister and friends told you not to. You didn't chastise me standing by Riley's side last year."

"That's sweet. Everything you've said has been kind, sweet, and loving, but it doesn't answer my question. Why won't you tell her that we're dating?"

"I will, today."

"What!?"

"Rose wasn't in on this part of the plane, but Farkle and Isadora should be leading Riley here, and when she gets here, I'm gonna tell her."

"Maya… why?"

"'Cause I think I've grown since we were fourteen. I might not be proud of all the choices I've made, but I'm damn proud of the fact that we're dating."

Maddie looks at her in awe, leaning forward. "Maya…"

Maya shifts her head to the side, leaning towards Maddie's lip.

"Maya!"

Maddie and Maya jump apart in surprise. Behind Maya, Riley was running up to them, Farkle and Isadora trailing behind her.

"There you are, Maya! We've been looking for you all over the place! I think we went around the zoo twice and… what are you doing here?" Riley stops beside Maya glaring at Maddie. "Well, Thomas?"

Maya takes a deep breath. "I asked her here."

Riley looks between the two of them suspiciously. "Why? What could you possibly want to talk to Thomas about."

"Well, Riley Maddie and I have been-"

"Arguing," Maddie cuts her off. "We've been arguing. Hart here called me over here to warn me to keep Charlie and Lucas away from you. I was telling her, 'it's not my business, and she needs to stop acting like your guard dog.' Right, Maya?"

Maya's eyes widened, she couldn't believe what Maddie was doing. All she's wanted for the past few months is for Maya to tell Riley about them, and now she was lying about it.

Riley stares at her friend. "Maya? Is that true?"

Maya glances between the two most influential people in her life before making a decision. "No… i-"

Maddie scoffs. "Don't lie, Maya. Now if you would excuse me, we have an hour before we have to leave and I would like to enjoy this place. Bye."

Maddie walks away, making sure her hand grazes Maya's in comfort. When Riley wasn't looking, she winked at Maya before disappearing.

"Maya, you didn't have to threaten Thomas for me? I know you two are cordial," Riley grins. "But thanks for always having my back."

Maya blinks at her, sharing a befuddled look with Farkle and Isadora. "You're… You're welcome?"

"Come on, she's right. We have an hour before we have to leave, and we haven't spent any time together. Farkle, Smackle, let's go."

Finding herself in the back of the little group Maya takes her phone out. _What was that about!? You wanted me to tell her._

_It's fine. The fact that you wanted to tell her it's good enough for me. Your friendship with Riley is important to you, we can deal with this when we get back to New York. We don't need any more drama in this group right now. _

Maya grins down. _Thank you._

_Your welcome. Besides, it'll be a lot of fun to sneak around in Dubai._

Maya chuckles before putting her phone away.

* * *

Rose basked in the sun. It was a clear-skied day, the first since she'd arrived in England and she was enjoying it. The pool she had her legs in was bathed in golden hue by the gentle sunlight, and the water was as clear as crystal.

She took a breath, letting fresh air fill her lungs. With all the tension in the air, today was needed.

A body slid next to her, gently nudging her in the shoulder. "Enjoying yourself."

She smiles at her uncle. "Yeah. This was needed. Thanks for planning this."

Josh shrugs, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "It's your last day here, and I wanted to hang out with you. Why not a pool party? Besides, it was all Elisabeth's idea."

"I thought so," Rose nods, rubbing her chin. "This was all too organized for something you came up with," cold water splashes her in the face. "Hey!"

"You deserve it."

"I guess."

"Be lucky. I'm not sending a picture of what you're wearing to Croy."

Rose looks down at her lavender polka dot cut out bandeau one piece and shrugs. "Dad is too protective. This isn't even the worse one I own."

Shawn chuckles. "You love driving him insane, don't you?"

"My joy as the oldest."

The two of them sat there in comfortable silence, watching the going on around them.

"I'm guessing you and Riley are still on the outs," Josh says, disturbing the peace.

"Nope," Rose made sure to pop the 'p.'

"She hasn't said sorry."

"Ha!" was her dry reply. "Besides, even if she does, I don't know if I would forgive her. It's been over a year since she said what she said, and since I haven't gotten an apology since then, I can only assume she meant it then and means it now."

"Rose… I-"

"I think you should talk to Maya," Rose tells him.

Josh blinks at the change in subjects. "Why? She hates me."

Rose shakes her head. "She hasn't hated you for a while now. And while you're at it," she holds up an empty solo cup. "Refill, please."

Josh shakes his head but accepts the cup. Rose was too much like Topanga.

"You look happy," Josh notes, padding over to the buffet table. He smiles down at the blonde.

Maya shrugs, looking up at him from where she was grabbing a slice of watermelon."Do I?"

"Yeah, you're glowing. You're dating someone, aren't you?"

Internal Maya panics before making her face go blank. "I have no idea what you're talking about?"

Josh chuckles. "You don't need to hide it. You and Madeline make a cute couple."

"How did you know?"

"You're kidding, right? She hasn't kept her eyes off you."

Maya looks back to see that, in fact, Madeline was watching her. Knowing that she was caught, Madeline sends her a smirk and a jaunty wave before returning to her conversation with Farkle, Isadora, Zay, and Imani.

"Riley doesn't know, does she?"

Maya turns back to Josh. "No, she doesn't, and you're not gonna tell her."

Josh holds his hands up in surrender. "Wasn't even thinking about it. You know I don't think I've ever seen you this happy before. You love her."

Maya's face reddens. "I-I-I- might. I thought I loved you, but I was wrong," she glances away from him. "You and Elisabeth look good together. She's not so bad. She seems to make you happy."

Josh smiles, taking the statement for what it was. "I like to think I make her happy too."

"You do. She hasn't kept her eyes off you either."

"I know."

Maya smirks at him. "So when's the wedding?"

"If all goes as planned next year."

Maya's eyes widen. "You…?"

"Not yet, but I have the ring. Keep it between the two of us, not even Rose knows."

"I promise. I'm happy for you, Josh."

"I'm happy for you too, Maya."

In another world, they might have been together, but in this one, they were just friends, and Maya was okay with that. She glances back at Madeline, who was laughing at something Isadora said. Yeah, she was completely okay with that.

* * *

On their last day in England, Maya rolls her suitcases over to her hotel door. The pitstop in England had been just what she needed. She and Madeline were in a good spot now, and she got closure with Josh. Maya couldn't be any happier.

"You ready to go?" she asks Riley, who was standing by the door with her own suitcases. Isadora had already left to meet up with Farkle.

"Yeah."

Maya glances at Riley. Her best friend is being uncharacteristically quiet. "Something wrong, Riles."

"You know the other day when I couldn't find you."

"You did find me, though. I was by the tigers."

"Yeah, after two hours, and you weren't alone. You were with Thomson."

Maya represses a flinch and shrugs. "Yeah. I guess we both wanted to see the tigers."

"Maya, you would never lie to me, right?"

"Right. I'll always tell you the truth."

"Good. What's going on between you and Thomson?"

* * *

**A/n: AHHH! Long Chapter! At least for this story. What is Maya going to do? No flashback in this chapter. I was gonna do a flashback of how Maya and Maddie got together, but I don't know how. I just know why, so that didn't happen. I can't wait for you guys to find out what Riley did to sever all ties with Rose, and that flashback will be in the next chapter. Y'all are gonna be so mad at Riley. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. **

**Stay safe. Stay healthy. Fight for what's right.**

**#Blacklivesmatter**


	5. Chapter 5: First Day of Dubai Surprises

"_A little known fact about the Civil War is the woman that fought in them. It's estimated that about 400 women disguised as men and went into battles, and others became spies for both the north and the south. Those are the brave women we're gonna learn about today."_

"_How can they be brave when their traitors?" Riley asks arm crossed. "They disguise himself as nice sweet people only to backstab the people they supposedly love."_

"_I think what Dad is trying to say is that those people were brave enough to stand up for what they believe is right, even if others disagree," Rose counters. "Right, Dad?"_

"_Umm..." Cory looks between the two of them uncomfortable. The whole class falling into an awkward silence._

_Tension had been brewing between the two sisters ever since the beginning of the year when Lucas and Charlie walked into the school holding hands. Riley has been on a smear campaign involving everybody she thought knew about the relationship, and Rose couldn't understand why Riley has been so immature. _

"_Girls, I don't want you fighting 'cause of me," Lucas cuts in._

_The two turn to glare at him, and he shrivels back. "This isn't about you!"_

"_This is about Rose being a backstabbing traitor who chooses to stand with the scarlet woman over her own twin."_

"_No, It's about you being the only one in the school that actually thought your relationship with Lucas was going to last!"_

_The class inhaled as one._

"_I bet Maximo is sleeping with a whole bunch of girls in Berkeley."_

_Rose snorts. "Is that the best you can do. You have to come at me with something better than that."_

_Riley scowls at her. "You think you're so much better than everybody."_

"_No, you think I'm better than you, and that's your problem. Riley, you want me to stand by your cause were twins, well you haven't been acting like my sister the past couple years. You jealousy immature brat."_

"_Because you think you know everything. That you know what's best for everybody."_

"_That's you. I don't get involved in other people's business unless asked. You do it becomes it validates you. It makes you feel special and needed, well news flash Lucas doesn't want you anymore. He's with Charlie now, get over it, move on. Next fairytale. Yours never happened."_

"_Your suppose to be on my side!"_

"_I would be if you were right!"_

"_I-I-I- I wish you never woke up!"_

_Rose froze, heart, pounding a million miles an hour. "What?"_

" _I said I wish you never woke up," Riley repeats head in the air._

"_Riley," Cory scolds. "Apologize."_

"_Of course, you take her side!" Riley screams at him. "You always take her side."_

_Rose wasn't listen her mind, not processing. She felt somebody shake her shoulder. "Rose! Rose! Rose! Rose!"_

"Rose! Rose! Rose!"

Rose opens bleary eyes. "Amelia?"

"Yeah, it's me. I came out of the bathroom and saw you twist and turn in your sleep."

Rose rubs her eyes, sitting up. She looks around the room to see that she was in one of the Ish-Shalom's private jet. Charlie and Maddie sleeping on the other bed of their shared bedroom.

"We're almost there?" Rose asks Amelia.

"We'll be landing in an hour. I was just about to wake everybody up."

"Kay," she yawns, tossing the duvet of her body.

"You okay, Rose?" Amelia asks.

"Yeah," Rose responds, picking her change of clothes.

"Bad dream?"

"I wish."

She closes the door to the adjoining bathroom. If only it was a dream. She would love it if having diabetes was a dream if she didn't have to fight for her life every day.

It was scary when she was six and had hypoglycemia. It was scary in eighth grade when she fainted in the middle of class, and it was terrifying in sophomore year when she passed out in the middle of Maximo's meet. That time she was unconscious for four days, hospitalized for a week and a half and on bed rest for another week. She missed out on a month of her life.

All that she can deal with, though. What she couldn't deal with is her own twin throwing it in her face.

"_I wish you never woke up."_

Turning on the water, she rinses her face before looking in the mirror.

Like she told Josh she probably will never forgive Riley, not that she's apologized.

* * *

"Oh, my God! It's so colorful!" Charlie exclaims as they step into the villa.

Rose couldn't agree more. As soon as you stepped into the room, you were hit with an array of colors. The walls are yellow; the couches are orange with colorful pillows on them. The dining table behind the sofa had twelve seats in the rainbow color. She can't wait to explore the rest of the home.

"Guys!" Amelia calls. "Before we go and explore, I want to explain the room situation. There are six bedrooms. Four of them have a king bed in them, one of them as two single beds and the last one is a bunk bed. All the bedrooms are available except for the one with the t.v.," she gestures to her self and Blaec. "That's ours, the rest of you can fight for the room."

Without pause, the rush up the stairs looking for a room. Going into the first room, Rose knew instantly it was the one she wanted. It has green wallpaper, a chandelier on the ceiling, and a queen-size bed. But that's not what attracted her. What got her was the balcony overlooking the sea.

"Maximo, I found our room," she says, jumping on the bed.

Maximo appears a the door. "Nice," he dumps their suitcases on the ground, before going out the balcony. "Really nice."

He returns back to the room and falls on the bed beside her. "I'm going to take a nap."

She runs her hand through his hair. "Didn't sleep well?"

"Eight guys stuck in one already small bedroom for six almost seven hours. What do you think?"

"Poor baby," she kisses his temple. "I'll leave you to sleep."

He wraps his arms around her waist. "Lay with me."

"I wanna look around the place, I'll be back."

After looking around, the villa Rose joins Beck in the kitchen.

"Found a room?" she asks, hopping on the counter.

"Yeah, the purple one. Ethan is fending it off for us as we speak. You?"

"We got the green one, it as a balcony and a nice view. So… how is this trip going for you so far? Different from your first trip across the water."

Rose groans. "So different."

"Let me guess more Drama?"

Rose chuckles. "Yeah."

Beck surveys her, taking in the tension in her eyes. "You okay, Rose."

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"You know…" Beck sighs, "I don't know how Maximo does it. Patiently waiting for you to come to him with your problems."

"I-I-"

"You don't hide it as well as you think you do, Rose."

"Or, you know me too well."

Beck nods. "That might be it."

She jumps off the counter. "I'm gonna go take a nap before we got out."

"Okay, Rose… just… don't hold it in. Let's have fun. As much as possible."

"I'll try."

* * *

"Did you have fun today?" Maximo asks her as they got ready for dinner that night.

She glowers at him, pulling up the sleeves of her navy blue slip dress. "What do you think?"

"Was it that bad? You guys won."

"I don't know how," she sighs. "We didn't even speak to each other. Honestly, I feel bad for Farkle. He didn't know what to do."

Earlier that day, the group headed over to Hub Zero Entertainment Cafe to play laser tag. And while Rose would have normally enjoyed a laser tag game, they were split into random teams, and she so unluckily was paired with Riley and Farkle. And while Farkle wasn't an issue, she and Riley spent the afternoon trying to one-up each other. Yeah, they won, but they didn' even talk to one another.

Standing from the bed, Maximo reaches from her, wrapping her in his embrace. "You're not having fun, are you."

"Not at all," she sighs, nesting her head under his chin.

"We can go home if you want. Amelia would understand."

"Maybe… after tonight. Today is her birthday, I can't miss her 18."

He kisses her temple. "After tonight."

Elliot really does go all out for his kids, was the first thing Rose thought when she arrived on the cruise ship. Dinner, dancing, and sightseeing on a formerly wooden Arabic ship is almost enough to bring her out of her slump.

Rose claps as the waiters carried a large cake over to there table, placing right in front of Amelia.

"Happy birthday to you," Ethan sings, staring them off.

"Happy Birthday to you! You live in a zoo! You look like a monkey, And you smell like one too!"

"You guys suck," Amelia jokes before leaning over and blowing then candles out.

Pushing her chair back, Rose stands, I need to use the bathroom, I'll be back.

"I'll grab you a piece," Maximo promises her, as she places a kiss on his cheeks.

"Thanks."

Walking to the front of the cruise, she turns left, going into the bathroom. When she comes out of the stall, she was surprised to see Maya standing there.

"Hey."

"Hey," Rose walks over to the sink, turning the water on. "Did you follow me?"

"I wanted to say thanks… and sorry."

A fluttering feeling settles in Rose's stomach, as she straightens. "What?"

Baby blue eyes meet baby blue. "You didn't have to help me with Maddie. You could have told me off."

She shrugs. "You make Maddie happy. I like my friends, happy."

"You've always been like that," Maya sighs. "Riley shouldn't have said what she said or treated you like she did."

"Maya I don't want you apologizing for-"

"I'm not. I'm apologizing for myself."

"Oh."

"You once told me I had rose-tinted glasses when it came to Riley, and you're right. I'm taking them off now. Riley was wrong, so was I and Maximo was right. I should have came to your defense. I should have told her she was wrong. I should have stupid from trying to ruin you're live at schools."

Rose shakes her head. "Nobody expected Riley could be that vicious. You wouldn't-"

"Don't make excuses for me. I did it for Riley and look what happened," Maya tells her. "I should have supported you because even when we weren't getting along, you supported me and for that I am sorry. I'm sorry for being a horrible friend."

"I-I-I- I don't know what to say. I was not expecting that today, like at all."

Maya shrugs, before giving her a tentative smile. "Yeah, well, I wasn't expecting to admit that, ever."

"We should get back out there before they think I killed you," Rose jokes.

"Pssh, you mean I kill you."

"Maya, you can't handle me."

"Yeah, those thorns or vicious. Something I think there poisonous."

Peals of laughter broke out from her lips. Making Maya's grin widen.

Later that night, Rose was resting on the railing of the cruise, taking in the scenery.

"Do you wanna leave?" Amelia asks, coming up to her.

Rose glances back to the sea, a slight smile on her lips. "It's beautiful. Would you be mad if I leave?"

"No."

"Let's go dance," she tells her, pushing off the railing.

Amelia's head tilts. "Rose?"

Rose grabs her hand, dragging her back into the ship. "Come on."

As she danced with Amelia, Rose couldn't stop smiling.

Maybe the trip won't be so bad after all.

* * *

**A/N: If this story feels rush, there's a reason for that. This is kind of hard to say, but I regret writing this last book. It's been three years, and I love this series, it's my first series, it's my first time writing (I cringe looking back at the mistake of the first book, lol). I regret book 4 because I kind of wished I left Rose's story the way it was in Book 3 and just like did one shot and not this full-blown story. **

**Because of that, I'm going to do this: After this chapter, there will be another chapter, and a final chapter to wrap it up. And I'll focus on little one-shots in Rose and Maximo, which won't just be about Rose and Maximo anymore.**

**Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Don't forget to comment and vote; constructive criticism welcomed.**

**Stay safe. Stay healthy. Fight for What's Right.**

**#Blacklivesmatter**


	6. Chapter 6: The Storm

Riley frowned to herself when she woke up from her nap to an empty room. It was the sixth time in the last two weeks they'd been in Dubai.

Tossing the comforter off, she climbs down the bunk bed, going in search of her best friend. Sadly she wasn't surprised to find her in the kitchen talking to Blaec, Thomason not too far. Everybody else was mingling around them, some cooking.

She didn't know what happened, but Maya had changed. If she was honest with herself, Maya hasn't been acting like herself in the past year. There have been times when May's lied to her about where she's going. Maya never used to lie to her. And now Maya's keeping a secret from her that everyone else seemed to know about.

She stares at the buzzing scene for a moment, her eye trailing over to Lucas and Williamson. Lucas has his arm around her waist as they talked to Farkle and Smackle.

Williamson laughs at something Smackle says, causing Lucas to lean down and kiss her on the temple.

Suddenly feeling cold, he heads up the stairs and back to her room. She didn't get it. How could her friends be okay with being around him? That should be her, not Williamson.

Climbing back into her bed, he pulls the blanket over herself. And thought back to her conversation with Maya a few weeks ago.

_"Maya, you would never lie to me, right?"_

_"Right. I'll always tell you the truth."_

_"Good. What's going on between you and Thomson?"_

_Maya swallows, seemly frozen before she spoke. "It's Maddie Riley. Maddie, and we're close, extremely close."_

_Riley feels her stomach drop. "How close?"_

_"I would do anything for her."_

_"Since when?"_

_"A while now," Maya admits. "I'm sorry I lied to you, but I'm telling you the truth now, and I think you and Rose need to talk."_

_"What!? No! She's a traitor; she chose Lucas over me!"_

_"You made her choose, though."_

_Riley glares, crossing her arms. "Now I'm given you a choice; it's Thomas or me?"_

_"What? Riley Maddie hasn't done anything to you. She's the least involved in this situation."_

_"She's in Rose and Willamson's camp. And I can't have my best friend friends with someone on their side."_

_"Riley, there is no side."_

_"It's her or me."_

_"Riley, if you were my best friend, you wouldn't be given me that choice."_

Since then, she and Maya have been somewhat rocky. They put up a good front in front of everyone else, but both of them knew the truth. Seeing Maya talk to Rose the night they arrived twisted something dark in her heart.

The door opening pulls her out of her thought.

Maya comes into the room. "Hey."

"Hey," Riley tries for a smile, but the look on Maya's face told her she failed. "What's going on?"

"Everyones tired from the water park, so since it's that last night here, Zay actually suggested we have dinner on the beach. Are you going to join?"

Riley tosses her comforted off. "Sure."

Maya blinks a little before grinning. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, let's go. Everyone is already headed for the beach."

"Welcome!" Zay greets them when they arrive on the beach. A large blanket was stretched out with an enormous mouth of food in the middle.

"I'm glad you decided to come," Farkle smiles at her.

Riley nods shortly before sitting down in between Maya and Smackle.

No one else says anything to her. It was like she was invisible, and she hated it.

"This was the worst trip ever!" she blurts out.

Quiet. Utter quiet. The joyful atmosphere disappearing in a second, and Riley felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

"Riley, you didn't have to come," Rose sighs out.

That seemed to piss Riley off more. Rose didn't get to sigh at her like she was the problem. "Well, I did, and I think it was horrible. I hated every moment of it since I got on the plane.

Amelia glares, her onyx eyes piercing into Riley's skull. "You know this is why I didn't want to invite you on this trip! You're ruining every good moment by being a miserable bitch!"

"Amelia…" Rose tries from her spot on Maximo's lap.

"No! I don't give I flying fuck anymore!" she ignores Blaec, who was rubbing soothing circles on her back, and scowls at Riley. "I didn't want you here! I don't like you, Riley. Do you really think I enjoyed having you at my birthday dinner? No. But I made the best of it and was willing to let bygones be bygones."

Riley huffs, crossing her arms. "If you didn't want me here, then why did you invite me?"

"'Cause Maya wouldn't have come if you didn't!"

"Why is that important!? You like Maya just as much as you like me! Which, as you said, is not at all."

"Actually, I do like Maya. I like her when she's not licking your ass. And I wanted her here because…"

"Tesoro, calm down before you say something that you'll regret," Blaec whispers to her.

Amelia takes a calming breath. "Rose, talk to your twin! It's not safe for me to say something right now!"

Rose groans, turning to face her twin. "Why is Maya coming being important doesn't matter. Riley, you and I have not seen eye to eye for a couple years. Tomorrow we're going to be back on American soil, spending the last few moments before we got to college with our family. This trip was a chance to clear the air. For everybody to get along and you continuously bringing everybody down when we reach a high point is not helping the situation. And if you were going to act like this, why did you come on the trip?"

"I'm sorry I'm not as great as you at hiding my emotions and pretending I'm alright when I'm not. But you all seem to forget the huge elephant in the room," Riley jabs a finger at Lucas. "He cheated on me!"

Lucas opens his mouth to protest, but Riley barges on, turning her glare from Rose to Lucas.

"You cheated on me, Lucas! Broke my heart into a million pieces! I deserve to be angry! You and Williamson are kissing in front of me, holding hands in front of me, and everybody is okay with it, but they seem to ignore the fact that you cheated on me!"

A hand is placed on Riley's shoulder. "Riles…"

"No, Maya! Don't defend him! You're my best friend! And you haven't been a good one lately!"

Maya backs away from her eyes wide in surprise. "What!?"

"You're keeping a secret from me! A secret that everybody here except for me knows! Do you know how that makes me feel that everybody knows something about you that I don't!"

"I…" Maya swallows before dragging up her courage. "I'm dating Maddie."

Riley froze. "What? How long?"

"Over a year," Maya admits. "Since the end of junior year."

Riley clenches her teeth. "Over a year? You lied to me for a year. Hmph. Well, good luck with that; I wish you luck being second best."

Hurt instantly filled Maya's face. "What?"

"Thomson likes Rose; they've kissed before. Bet you didn't know that, did you? You're her second choice, and compared to Rose, you can't compete."

Instantly Riley regretted the words that came out of her mouth, but she couldn't take it back now. She wouldn't.

You could hear a pin drop.

Maddie turns to Rose and mouths, "How does Riley know I kissed you?"

Rose shrugs. "I have no idea," she mouths back. "Why didn't you tell Maya?"

"'Cause it didn't matter."

"Well, it damn well matters now!"

Maya couldn't believe the words that came out of Riley's mouth. Riley Matthews was telling her she wasn't good enough. Her best friend was telling her she wasn't good enough. She'll deal with Maddie and Rose kissing thing later, but she had best friends to wake up right now. "Wow, just wow. You know not everybody feels inferior to Rose."

Riley crosses her arms. "Excuse me!?"

"You heard me."

"I don't feel inferior to Rose."

"Yeah, that's why for the past four years, you've made sure not to have a single class with Rose so that the teachers don't compare you. You know what? I don't blame Lucas for cheating on you," guilt-filled Maya as soon as the words came out of her mouth, but she marched on. "You practically chased him into Charlotte's arm by trying to make your relationships like Maximo and Rose. You're not your mom and Dad, and you aren't Rose. You're just Riley; get over it."

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Tears in her eye, Riley ran past Maya.

"We got her," Farkle says as he and Isadora stood from the sand.

Madeline stands, placing a hand on Maya's shoulder. "You okay?"

Maya shrugs her off. "We need to talk." Grabbing Madeline's hand, she pulls her away from the group, towards the ocean.

"Well, this was a great idea," Amelia says, standing.

"I didn't know this was going to happen," Zay argues. "All the food is going to waist."

"Well, you can stay here and eat if you want, but I think it's time to pack up," Ethan agrees.

The rest of the group gather their belonging, heading back to the rental.

On the way, Charlotte pulls Lucas back so that they were behind the group. "You need to talk to Riley."

"I've tried, she keeps avoiding me," Lucas tells her.

"Well, you need to. I get that she's hurt, but I'm not the scarlet woman she makes me out to be."

"You think I like being the villain?"

"Lucas, talk to her. It's not fair for you to be made a cheater when you didn't cheat on her. High school is over. She's not allowed to carry on this lie. Talk to her..."

Sighing, he grabs hold of her hand. "I promise. I'll talk to her."

* * *

**A/N: Shit as hit the fan. I don't know how this happened, but I was awake at 12:05 this morning, and somehow I was able to finish this when I haven't touched it since August.**

**Did y'all vote cause I did? I don't want to know who you voted for, but I hope you voted for someone you trust because I did.**

**Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Do What's Right.**  
**#Blacklivesmatter**  
**#Joebiden**  
**#Kamalaharris**


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